Creating the MAG Soldier

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Join a PMC: see the world and blow it up.

By Jeff Haynes

Most online shooters throw you in the middle of a warzone as a nameless soldier that is fighting to help your team win that particular round. However, the impact of that match has no particular impact on the overall game (unless you're in a clan) and you don't have anything invested in a match apart from proving how good you are. In fact, with the exception of having your stats tracked, your actions and match wins don't make your side any stronger or better than the opposing side. Zipper Interactive and Sony Computer Entertainment want to change that with the upcoming release of MAG, a first-person, persistent-online shooter. I recently had a chance to check out the very beginning segments of the game to see what it will be like to create a new soldier and start fighting through the beginning sections of the game.

Unlike other shooters where you set up a character skin and individual load out for both good and bad guys (like setting up your outfits for soldiers and terrorists), MAG provides you with one character that you'll create and stick with throughout the entire MAG experience. This helps anchor the persistent nature of the game, as you will make your choice about which of the private military corporations (or PMCs) you want to join. The three companies have their own individual recruiting videos, messages and themes to promote themselves to prospective soldiers, and once you decide to choose a company, you will remain with them throughout every single mission, always using that particular character. However, I was told that at one point, based on your level, you will get recruited by some of the other factions to potentially switch over to another side if you aren't feeling loyal to your company or feel particularly mercenary.

Okay mercenary...draw!

While each company doesn't have a particular advantage over the others, they are comprised of radically different groups of people and have access to different gear. The Valor PMC is comprised of mainly ex-North American and United Kingdom Special Forces troops. S.V.E.R. is the second group, made from rebellious Eastern European and Central Asian rogue elements that cobble together their gear with duct tape or other improvised weaponry. Finally, Raven is a company from Western Europe that has the latest gear and weapons on the battlefield, but has the least amount of combat experience. Regardless of the company you choose, you'll have 15 different heads and uniform options to choose from for your character, as well as other gear. In fact, you'll be able to tailor make and save up to five separate weapon load outs that can be taken into battle and automatically swapped out between respawns, making it easier for you to get back into the fight.

Now, whenever you wind up creating your character, you start out at level one, are placed in an eight-man squad and go through training with your squadmates to get accustomed to gameplay. There are multiple ways that you can advance your level, such as getting kills in battle, repairing destroyed equipment, reviving downed team members and accomplishing your objectives. Once you reach a new level, you receive skill points that can be used to unlock new weapons, gear and abilities, like decreasing your reload speed or improving your marksman skill. Unlike other games, there aren't class specializations in MAG, so you can choose to be an assault trooper with medic abilities or an engineer with sniper skills. The only thing holding you back are which skills you choose to invest in; it's not possible to acquire every skill, and while the beta currently caps out at 40, Zipper and SCEA haven't determined what the eventual level cap will be.

Levels also play a vital role in MAG's leadership positions, which allow players to command and direct their fellow soldiers. As I mentioned previously, each player is initially placed in an eight-man squad that's directed by a squad leader. Leaders can highlight squad objectives and targets, and players within the squad that accomplish these selected objectives will gain double experience points. However, not everyone can be a leader; a soldier has to be level 15 to potentially opt in as a squad leader, proving that they've had a lot of game experience. As the squad leader gets his soldiers to accomplish their tasks, h or she earns leadership points, which help him or her advance levels to potentially become Platoon Leaders, who are in charge of four squads or 32 soldiers. If you manage to further improve your leadership points, you can put in to be a possible OIC, or Officer in Charge, who commands four platoons. Each leadership role has their own separate voice channels to help leaders coordinate their attacks and defense, and each role has different kinds of tactical assets that they can command, whether that's an unmanned drone sweep or a bombing run. Furthermore, being around a player in a leadership role gives soldiers additional passive bonuses, improving your team's abilities in combat.

Working as a squad is the best way to complete your objectives.

As soon as you complete the training, you'll gain access to the Suppression mode, which is a 32 vs. 32 team deathmatch. At level three, you gain access to the Sabotage mode, another 32 vs. 32 objective-based mode where attackers need to hold checkpoints and eventually destroy a target while defenders try to prevent incoming strikes. Eventually, you'll unlock Acquisition, a 64 vs. 64 Capture the Flag-based mode where you break through enemy lines, try to acquire an enemy vehicle and escape in one piece. Finally, after you gain enough levels, you unlock Domination, the 128 vs. 128 multiple objective-based mode that takes over an entire battlefield.

Each victory that your PMC has will clearly give you bonus experience points, but it also plays into a larger role within the game. See, all three PMCs are essentially fighting a shadow war against the other companies, vying for contracts from different governments and organizations. Each battle that you win adds to the overall tally of your company, which is persistently tracked across all modes and sessions. If your company happens to be particularly successful with a certain game mode, your entire company will gain some kind of bonus. Zipper and SCEA weren't willing to explain what the bonus situation is just yet, but it will be beneficial for your team to be the best of at a particular mode. However, they were willing to say that your company's rating will affect the map that you will play as well as whether your company will defend or attack in the game mode.

While there have been a number of betas for MAG, there is an exclusive Gamestop beta for pre-orders coming up from November 9 to November 20 that will kick out previous beta players. However, it will be completely available for gamers 24/7 as opposed to the current beta, which is locked down to specific times of each weekday. We'll be keeping an eye on the game and providing more on MAG, particularly as it gets closer to the January 26 launch.